


Save Those You Can

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 09:13:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19867138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: Kamal had managed to push the fear down until everyone was safely out of the Habitat. A handful of them had brought cars to the Habitat, but still, no one left. Everyone had grown attached to Flower Kid and wanted to know that they would be alright. That just made him feel worse. He should’ve been the one to face Habit, but he was too much of a damn coward.





	Save Those You Can

**Author's Note:**

> I made a weird reference to Kamal and Prasley having a past because of headcanons and stuff. Other than that this is completely a stand alone. It's sad, and the ending is kinda open, but here! Have this!

It was a rough night, but that was to be expected. Evacuating 21 people was not easy, especially when none of them had been ready. Apparently, Flower Kid hadn’t gone around spreading the plan. Which was, in retrospect, probably a good idea. Habit might’ve found out if everyone knew. Getting Wallus out of the wall had been hard, for physical and emotional reasons. Having to grab and drag Petunia out was bad too. She had insisted on staying and fighting the “Green Menace”. It was in the middle of dealing with her that the seed of doubt had been planted. 

Kamal had managed to push it down until everyone was safely out of the Habitat. A handful of them had brought cars to the Habitat, but still, no one left. Everyone had grown attached to Flower Kid and wanted to know that they would be alright. That just made him feel worse. He should’ve been the one to face Habit, but he was too much of a damn coward. He had sent a child to go in there and deal with...him. Everyone was standing in a little clump, all whispering and chattering. The sun was beginning to come up, and there was a sickly coppery smell in the air. The laughing gas wouldn’t affect them from where they were, at least nowhere near as bad as it could in the Habitat. 

It was when the lights turned on in the tower that he couldn’t hold it in any longer. He had taken to sitting in the dirt road with his head between his knees, but when he looked up and saw that, he couldn’t stand idly by. He sprang to his feet and started walking briskly towards the still open gates of the Habitat. 

“Kamal! Where are you going?” Parsley called after him. He sounded worried, very worried.

“There’s still someone who needs help getting out!” He called back. “Maybe even two.” He muttered to himself. The little crowd murmured louder and a few of them gave him a thumbs up. Trevor even gave him a salute from the Hunger Games. Parsley gave him a boy scout salute, and Kamal smiled at the memories it brought up. He gave one back and stepped through the gates into the Habitat.

The gas hit him like a tsunami. He began to cough violently and almost fell to the ground. He managed to stay upright and took a few staggering steps forward. Everything around him was dark and shaky, and he began to realize that some of the things he was seeing were real. Actually, most of them were. It was the Carlas, but there were so many more of them than he had ever seen. He had no idea when Habit could’ve taken the time to make them all, but he must’ve. They were all saying gibberish, but he ignored them and pushed on. Past the lounge, past the boilers, past Wallus’ hole in the wall. The elevator looked like it was still open, which was a very good idea. It suddenly crossed his mind that if he had been later he might not have been able to open the doors because he didn’t have his key card anymore. Flower Kid must not have been up there for too long then.

There was still hope.

The ride up to Habit’s office was enough to clear his head, at least a little. He needed a game plan, and he found that the adrenalin of everything that was happening made his head surprisingly clear for such a stressful situation. Still, it was hard to have a plan when he didn’t know what Habit was doing. He wouldn’t fight Flower Kid directly, he had never been direct about things. Well, he hadn’t been, but then he’d made fun of Kamal. And he’d already been plenty passive aggressive to them. Maybe it had something to do with the missing teeth? On the last legs of him being an assistant, and for a while afterwards, when people didn’t remember he had quit, they had come to him talking about suddenly missing teeth. He had decided it wasn’t his problem, but now? Now it very well could be.

The elevator dinging and the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts. He stood in the elevator for another few moments before adrenaline and panic rolled over him in a wave. He rushed to the door and tried to open it. It didn’t budge. He tried harder. Still nothing. He gave up on the handle and began to pry at the corners of it. No luck. He hadn’t even realized he was crying until he sobbed. The door just would not open. He fell to his knees in front of it and began to sob in ernust. He couldn’t open the door. He couldn’t save a child that he had led to their death.

He couldn’t save his best friend.


End file.
